Do Boys Start Rugby Too Young?

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29264, 23 July 1960, Page 5

Do Boys Start Rugby Too Young?

SATURDAY morning competitive Rugby for boys has shown a tremendous growth since 1941, when the Canterbury union’s junior advisory committee was set up to cater for a limited number of under-age and under-weight grades. The increase has brought many problems and some criticism in its train, - and in more recent years, some deep thinking by administrators and others who have the best interests of the game at heart.

One of these is Mr A. R. Couling, a well-known Canterbury front-row forward of the 1947 to 1953 era. Couling is convinced that youngsters today are beginning their competitive Rugby at too early an age and that they are leaving Rugby before they reach the open grades, and at a time when they should be obtaining the most t 6 be had from the game.

Each year after the annual meeting, according to Ivlr Couling,

the? Rugby Union announces a record entry of teams, but the number of teams entered in the open grades remains practically static. In 1951, for example, 76 teams were entered in the open grades and 69 in the underweight. This year there are 79 teams in the open grade (only 71 “in 1959) and 152 in the underweight grades (139 last year). In 1940, the year in which it was decided to set up a junior advisory board to control junior football, 74 teams were entered in open grades. Four under-weight grades were catered for at that time —under Bst 71b, 7st 71b, 6st 71b, sst 71b and in 1944 there were 35 teams entered in these grades. Not Improved “The fact is,” says Mr Couling, “that in Christchurch at least, senior Rugby has not improved since 1950. In fact, clubs like Marist, which cater extensively for midget grade teams and should now be reaping the benefit of the youngsters of a number of years ago, are now further down the ladder than they were at 1950. [ln 1951 the Marist club had seven open teams, four under-age and seven under-weight. Today it has five open team, two underage and 23 in the under-weight grades—seven of them under sst.l

Other points made by Mr Couling indude:— Very few players maintain the incentive to train at nights and their enthusiasm for the game wanes after a period of more than 10 years. Would it not, therefore, be better to contain these years * between 18 and 28 rather than 7 and 17?

A census taken of prominent players in Canterbury senior representative teams since 1950 reveals that few played serious competitive Rugby on Saturdays until late at primary school or after.

With fewer teams to look after, clubs could be more selective in their choice of coaches and specialist coaches could then be employed to cover all teams.

It is known that boys aged seven, and often six, are playing Saturday morning competitive Rugby and that many of them are dropping out of Rugby after only one year in the lower grade, under sst. This year, of the 277 teams which entered the competitions at the opening of the season, 198 were under-age and under-weight teams. Underweight teams numbered 152, with 47 of these entered in the .under sst grade. . >■ ,£. Decrease *.

Proof that these boys are dropping out of the game can be seen in the figures for the" grides immediately above. In the under sst grade last year there were 45 teams and 27 in the under sst 71b grade. This year the under sst 71b grade has increased by only one team, the' under 6st grade by four, and the under 6st 71b grade this year shows a decrease of one on last year (18 compared with 17 this year). In the under-age grades, the decrease is even more marked. Counting the secondary schools’ grade, this year 46 teams were entered in the four grades. Last year there were 51.